A great book of cat and mouse. Mystery, suspense, haunting, and thrilling. A great story. I love the tangled web that was weaved through the story and the way the story built up to keep you turning the pages. I loved the character development and the plot. Highly recommend. I would read anything these authors put out! Highly recommend. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my advance copies. All opinions are my own.

WOW!!! I am kicking myself for not having read this book sooner, that was my first mistake. My second mistake was starting this book after dinner one night. The problem was the book was so good I stayed up into the wee hours of the night and devoured it! I was so invested in the story that I couldn't put it down and I HAD to know what was going to happen next. I loved the alternating points of view and knowing pieces of information before the characters do. I HIGHLY recommend this to thriller/suspense fans. This is certainly a book I will be recommending to family and friends. Excuse me while I go read other books by this duo.

This was an engaging thriller with some twists and turns I didn’t expect – I ended up staying up late to read it in two nights. However, I miss Sarah Pekkanen’s non-thriller books, which I thought were superb.

It started a bit slow, but then it picked up the pace; it was very good, and I wanted to know what Dr. Shields' motives were in her "psychology" study. Very good book, recommended for psychological thriller fans.

These authors are slowly becoming a new favorite of mine. I absolutely enjoyed this story and loved the contrast between Lydia and Jess. I have no words for how to describe the plot of this besides a psychological study that takes a turn. I definitely recommend others to read this.

I absolutely loved Hendricks and Pekkanen’s first book, The Wife Between Us. (You can read that review here!) When I heard about An Anonymous Girl, it instantly shot up in my must-read list!

Jessica Farris a freelance makeup artist running from a painful past and a devastating secret. She’s spent years burying herself in work and trying to forget about what she did. When an opportunity to make some quick cash presents itself, Jessica doesn’t hesitate before jumping on it. The task? Participating in a mysterious longterm psychological study on ethics and morality. As the experiment goes from the lab to the real world and the cash starts to roll in, Jess finds herself unsure to tell what’s real and what’s an experiment. Told from the dual viewpoints of Jess and her mysterious doctor, the web of deceit and manipulation spun by the omniscient Dr Shields becomes more and more dangerous. This twist-y psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat and honestly, I devoured it.

This book gave me the creeps, which was exactly what I had hoped for! I thought this was a completely unique thriller that had me guessing and wanting to keep moving through each page. This writing duo certainly knows how to craft a book to keep you on the edge of your seat. It made me stop and think about what have I done that has required me to trust someone else and if that was a good choice or not. Don't hesitate, pick this one up!

I really enjoyed this book. The authors are very good at putting together a fast paced thriller. Would recommend to a friend.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review. Here is my review:

I don't know who I dislike most, Jessica, Dr Fields, or the person who so highly recommended this book that I just HAD to read it!!

Jessica is a young woman living on her own in New York City, acting as a hired makeup consultant and dragging herself all over town to barely make enough money to live. Then she gets an opportunity to take part in a confidential psychological study and make five hundred dollars. BIG MISTAKE!!

Dr Shields is a well-regarded psychiatrist, separated from her husband, who is also a psychiatrist. She runs these studies on ethics and morality.

Jessica is so honest with her answers and so unguarded that she is invited to continue in a more extensive study. The money is good, the work is easy, so what could POSSIBLY go wrong? EVERYTHING!!

I didn't particularly LIKE this book, but I was unable to put it down before I finished it, because I just HAD TO KNOW what happened to all these people!!

***3.5 STARS***

Spoiler Free Review will go live on LAIROFBOOKS on 3/9/2020

"You're Invited: Seeking women aged 18 to 32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality conducted by a preeminent NYC psychiatrist. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. Call for more details."

We meet Jessica who is stressed beyond measure & feeling a bit over burdened with a sense of duty to her family. Self appointed financial care taker of her sisters medical bills, Jessica is struggling to make ends meet. Her job as a on the go makeup artist is barely allowing for her to make a living let alone supplement her struggling parents income. When she catches word of a study that's being held by a University Professor she seizes the opportunity. Things get weird rather quickly during the initial survey questions...

"Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?"

Nevertheless, Jessica was dead set on earning a bit of extra cash & answering some questions for a reputable doctor seemed harmless no matter how odd these morality/ethical questions seemed. As I listened to the audiobook which btw had excellent narration, I started to feel as if our MC was legit a spider caught in a web. I honestly got stalker vibes all the way through & wondered how the MC who was super inquisitive still managed to get lured in deeper. This was a very narcissistic read & our MC formed a co-dependent relationship from the very beginning. I can't say I was honestly shocked by the twists & turns that were taken. However, the vibe of this book was so unsettling that it grabbed a hold of me & wouldn't let go. If you're looking for a suspenseful novel featuring some very toxic relationships then this would be the book to pick up. There were times I didn't know for sure who was in the know vs. who was being drawn into a corner. Overall I enjoyed An Anonymous Girl & will most definitely be picking up this duo's current title You Are Not Alone.

Content Warning: Suicide, Death, Sexual Assault, Adultery

This book has a refreshingly original premise. Jessica Farris, short on cash, agrees to be a subject in a psychological study ran by a Dr Shields. While the plot in the synopsis sounds interesting, unfortunately it falls a bit flat.

Dr Shields seems like she's supposed to be a far creepier character than she comes off. Jessica is a flawed but likeable character. The plot, as it unravels, goes from interesting to rather outlandish. It's also really slow. It also has far too much detail on outfits.

Overall, the second half of the book just made it quite a bit worse than I thought it would be. The first half, though, is pretty good.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for the early copy! I listened to the audio book and the narrators were fantastic. It didn’t have quite the same shock factor as the duo’s first book, The Wife Between Us, but was still a fun thrill ride. I will definitely pick anything these women write together!

This was so propulsive, and such a great premise! I thought this one was stronger than their first book, which I also liked. Five twisty, didn't know what was coming, stars.

The original study has been indefinitely suspended.
You, Subject 52, have become my sole focus.

Synopsis: A struggling make-up artist named Jess hijacks a client's space at a well compensating psychological study, but she may have signed up for much more than she bargained for. After accepting a solo slot for an even more in-depth study with the ever-elusive Dr. Shields, Jess begins to question her morals, lifestyle, past, relationships and even her own safety and well-being.

I read The Wife Between Us and immediately became mesmerized by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I found it so intriguing that two authors could cooperatively create such a creative and well-written story. I was so excited to read their second book as a duo. Thankfully, An Anonymous Girl did not disappoint. There were just as many plot twists and surprises as their prior book. The writing was so elegant and classy, it really created depth to the characters and brought their personas to life. I really enjoyed the dual narratives, often-times they can be dauting; however, the authors pulled it off spectacularly. I can't wait to read their next masterpiece!

An Anonymous Girl is a unique story that takes you down the psychological rabbit hole. What would you do? How far would you go? It was interesting to see how the characters interact. Jessica slowly unravels as the story progresses; even I started to become paranoid! Unfortunately, the story was a bit slow. I found myself engrossed in certain sections but somewhat indifferent in others. But it was an interesting premise, and I would recommend giving it a try.

Another awesome release from Greer and Sarah! The plot is seamless and the suspense that builds as the reader learns more and more is palpable. I began to question myself as I read. ‘What would you do...’. absolutely becomes a terrifying thought. I loved it. There is nothing better than a flawless psychological thriller.

Let me fall into the small category that stands to the side that declares this book as ‘meh’. I know how much a lot of people loved this story, and it was a good one in terms of twists and unreliable characters, but there was just something about it that held me at the three star mark and no further.


Having read the author duo’s previous work, THE WIFE BETWEEN US, and rated it with a whopping four stars at that, AN ANONYMOUS GIRL just fell short. While I loved the dual narrative, especially considering one of them was a possibly sociopathic psychiatrist, I couldn’t buy some of the things that happened. I’m not going to reveal anything, I still believe you should go into this read completely blind as so many people have already said, but I will say that some of the explanations and even twists didn’t give me satisfaction one hundred per cent. I can’t go into detail because that would mean giving spoilers, so if you’ve read this book and want to discuss, shoot me a message and I’d love to talk. Otherwise I’ll just say that the the common ground where all these unreliable and perhaps even unlikable characters came together being a study on morality, was much more interesting than all the twists that were thrown at us at the end. I couldn’t help but think that the psychological battle between the two women who narrated the story was stronger than any mystery contained in the book. And speaking of that, because of both women’s strength in manipulation, the ending made even less sense for me, and perhaps made me even a bit angry at such an easy out.

I recommend this still to those who love psychological thrillers. For all the things I felt it lacked for me personally, I can’t deny that it was an easy, gripping read. But like I said, go into it blind and see how you feel about it.

EEE! I loved this! So many twists! It was dark, it was suspenseful, it was bizarre - it was perfect.

this was a DNF for me. I thought it was incredibly slow with no pay off. I read and listened to about 50% of the book before deciding it just wasn’t for me.

I read this book as an ARC from NetGalley.com.

Jess Farris, a disillusioned make-up artist living in New York, sneaks into a psychological study about integrity, morality and ethics. Her responses captivate Dr. Shields, who invites Jess to participate in a more in-depth study in which Jess will be asked to do things that will reveal to Dr. Shields more information about how Jess views morality and ethics, but stresses that Jess will always be in control of the situations. And Dr. Shields will compensate Jess for her troubles. Compensate her very, very well.

And so begins the rollercoaster ride Jess and Dr. Shields take the reader on. Hendricks and Pekkanen create a situation in which the reader, like Jess, wants to know what Dr. Shields is up to, where the study on morality and ethics will lead. Dr. Shields, who always seems controlled, slowly begins to reveal a crack in her facade, a fissure in her composure that threatens to destroy Jess if she continues in the study. But, Jess becomes captive to not only the money Dr. Shields provides, but to the consequences of coming clean about her own demons. And, she wants to understand Dr. Shields, who drew her in with gifts and comfort as she has never known.

The rollercoaster ride is exhilarating as Hendricks and Pekkanen create corkscrews, sheer drops, and lurches with each encounter between Jess and Dr. Shields. Ultimately, the reader is blindsided as the cart comes to a complete stop. What a rush!

Things I Loved:
1. Jess's believability: She's an ambitious young woman who finds her dreams crushed by a selfish toxic man abusing his position of power. She has a heart of gold, but also an edge. She's complex and fluid. She's real.
2. Hendricks and Pekkanen's choice of voice for Dr. Shields is brilliant. In writing Dr. Shields in passive voice, they add a layer of complexity to her character, emphasizing her dissociation from her actions and her own ethics and morality. Dr. Shields's passive voice also reveals some fragility of her character, that she's not secure in her own thoughts to fully, actively inhabit them and chooses to ride above or below the murkiness she is creating with her morality and ethics study. Dr. Shields's voice rings through loud and clear.
3. Noah's respectability: I love that he doesn't cave to Jess's turbulence. He stands his ground with his expectations and deal breakers. It's nice to see a male character follow more than his hormones.
4. The surprise twist at the end: I love a thriller that really gets in one last thrill when I think all the loose ends are tied up. Brava, Hendricks and Pekkanen!

Things I Liked (a little) Less:
1. I didn't like Jess's promiscuity. While some see it as sexual agency, I felt like her attitude about one-night-stands as distasteful as Noah appears to find them.
2. I wish there was a confrontation between Jess and Gene French, her victimizer. I would have liked to see Jess be part of his fall from grace, if for no other reason than I believe every victim should have the opportunity to witness her victimizer's downfall. Hearing about it just didn't seem enough.

If you like a good thriller, check out An Anonymous Girl. You won't be disappointed!